


Masquerade

by buzzbuzz34



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-31 06:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21093872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzbuzz34/pseuds/buzzbuzz34
Summary: When the Rangers (We're Still Working on the Name) are hired to uncover a plot against one of the largest assemblies of the nobility and upper classes in Europe, Hamid bumps into Liliana for the first time since she broke up with him.  Naturally, he decides the best way to thwart the situation is to pretend that Zolf is his date for the fancy processionals, while time is ticking down before the attack.





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> I took a bunch of aspects from throughout the campaign for this. For instance, Zolf is (spoilers!) not part of the Church of Poseidon anymore and he has his mechanical legs, Grizzop is there instead of Bertie, they never met Liliana in Newton's office or Gideon in the Prague University, etc. But they're still the Rangers. There's no Simulacrum or anything like that, they're just mercenaries doing a job.

When Hamid really put the effort in, Zolf, Sasha, and Grizzop could clean up rather well. They all wore smart, inconspicuous suits that hid their weapons and allowed them to blend in easily with the guests at the fancy ball. 

The Rangers (We’re Still Working on the Name) had been hired to find and eliminate a plot against the weekend-long ceremonies that featured prominent royal and noble families from countries across Europe. And Hamid, being an al-Tahan, was invited as a proper guest, not just a mercenary allowed to mingle for the sake of the greater good. 

Sasha and Grizzop had disappeared the moments the first guests appeared, sneaking into the shadows to avoid any undue attention. Zolf wound up entering with Hamid, though made his way to check out the perimeter shortly after Hamid got wrapped up in a financial discussion with the head of another organization that handled more money daily than Zolf would see in his entire life. 

Hamid didn’t mind ingratiating himself in the crowd. In fact, it felt natural, even if he had to keep reminding himself that there was something more sinister afoot - he couldn’t just sip fine wines and chat the night away. 

“Any clues so far?” Zolf sidled up beside Hamid a few hours into the evening. 

“Nothing. You?”

Zolf shook his head and munched disappointedly on an hors d’oeuvre. 

“Not enjoying the party?”

“This isn’t exactly my cup of tea,” he replied. “I’d rather just find the people scheming and get out of here. Sorry,” Zolf added awkwardly. “I know this is kind of your thing.”

Hamid shrugged. “I must admit, it’s a nice break from climbing through tunnels and chasing down unimaginable evils all the time.”

“You know what? That’s fair.”

Zolf held out his wine glass for Hamid to clink his against it, and they both drank. 

Standing in silence and scanning the ballroom, Hamid’s eyes fell on a familiar halfling and the peacefulness he’d experienced up until that point faded into anxiety and despair. 

“Hamid? Are you alright? You look… bad.”

“Oh _dear_.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He shook his head and cleared his throat. “That’s… that woman over there, she was my girlfriend while at university. And she’s… here with someone.” Hamid noted how Liliana’s arm laced through someone else’s, though he couldn’t make out their face across the mass of people.

“Ah. I’m… sorry?” Zolf muttered and took another sip of his wine, a bigger one this time.

Hamid turned toward him hastily when he spotted Liliana and the person accompanying her headed their way. “You have to pretend to be my date.”

“What!?”

“I can’t let her see me here by myself. I have to let her know I’m doing fine, I’m doing great, I’m doing better without her.”

“And you can’t just tell her that?”

“Of course not!” Hamid exclaimed. “I don’t want her to be jealous, I don’t care about _that_. I just want to _prove _to her that I’m better off without her.” His fists balled up at his sides. 

Zolf sighed. “And you think having _me _pretend to be your boyfriend is going to help that? If anything, she’ll take one look at me and think you’ve really fallen from grace.”

“Zolf…” Hamid grumbled. “We can deal with your self-deprecating comments later. Who else would I ask? Grizzop would laugh me out of the room, and Sasha isn’t good at conversation at the best of times. Besides, I’m not even sure where I would find her.”

“Fine!” 

“Thank you.”

Hamid smiled sympathetically and Zolf couldn’t help but roll his eyes, the faintest upturn of his lips at this plan. 

A few seconds later, they were interrupted by a polite cough, and they turned to see the same halfling Hamid had pointed out before and her date, a tall human man. 

“Hamid! How… unexpected to see you here.” The woman said. Meanwhile, the man looked everywhere but at Hamid and Zolf. 

“Liliana! And… Gideon… _Indeed_, it is quite a surprise.” Hamid swallowed hard and clenched his jaw as best he could without it being visible. It was hard enough to see Liliana with someone else after she broke his heart so readily, but to see her with _Gideon _of all people…

“Won’t you introduce us?” 

“Yes! Zolf, this is Liliana and Gideon,” Hamid said, gesturing to the each of them as he spoke. “We went to University together, for a time. And, this is Zolf Smith.” 

Hamid fumbled, unsure of how to introduce him beyond that. Thankfully, Zolf took the cue, and wrapped an arm around Hamid’s waist, then smiled widely. 

“It’s nice to meet you both.” He extended his free hand for both of them to shake. 

“Likewise,” Liliana replied icily. Gideon still said nothing, though he did shake Zolf’s hand and smiled briefly. “Oh, you probably haven’t heard, Hamid, since you’ve been off… doing whatever it is that people who get kicked out of Cambridge do. But Gideon and I are _engaged_.”

“Congratulations!” Hamid exclaimed, far louder than his previous words and at an excessively high pitch. He was so taken aback by the news that Liliana just announced nonchalantly, and he couldn’t contain it. 

“Ah, what a coincidence!” Zolf said, squeezing Hamid a little tighter to his side. “So are we!”

Hamid’s shock at Liliana and Gideon’s engagement disappeared in an instant as Zolf spoke. Despite everything going completely awry, he knew immediately he’d made the right choice in asking Zolf to be his fake date for the evening when Liliana’s eyes widened, and her jaw visibly dropped. The twitch she got her in her temple when she was annoyed suddenly pulsed, and Hamid couldn’t help but grin. 

He laced his own arm around Zolf and placed a hand on his chest, looking up at him affectionately. “Yes, I’m so excited.”

When he turned back, Gideon was smiling politely but Liliana’s face was etched with rage. She wheeled on Zolf.

“Do you know what he’s done?” She demanded.

“Yes.”

“And you would marry him regardless?”

“Of course. It doesn’t matter to me. Because _I _know that Hamid, in any given second, is a greater man than the sum of all his mistakes.” Zolf’s voice was severe, and it was clear he meant every word. 

Liliana raised her chin, then turned, grabbed Gideon’s arm, and pulled him away. As soon as they were gone, Hamid finally breathed, and he slumped a little more against Zolf’s side. 

“You alright?” Zolf asked quietly.

“Yes. Thank you. And I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

Zolf chuckled. “Don’t be sorry. They obviously wronged you, and getting to see them that surprised and shocked and angry? I’d pay our whole mercenary fee for this job to get to do that again.”

“You don’t know what I did though.” Despite Zolf’s affectionate and meaningful words, Hamid couldn’t delight in the moment quite as much. 

“Doesn’t matter. I meant that. Whatever you did, I’ve seen you do more good in a few months than most people accomplish in a lifetime. You’ve changed the world. You’re incredible, Hamid, and they’re fools if they were never able to see that.”

Hamid breathed heavily and took a few moments to collect himself. “I’m not sure I was any good when I knew them.”

“Well, in that case,” Zolf replied, “I’m glad I got to know you at a time when you’re acting on all the goodness in you.”

There was nothing Hamid could say. He had regret all tangled up inside of him and every good deed only removed the smallest knot, but Zolf’s words seemed to still the self-hatred Hamid fought against every day. He hugged Zolf from the side and squeezed him tight. 

“Thank you, Zolf,” he whispered against his chest before pulling away. “Alright, now that _that’s_ over with, shall we go find an assassin?”

Zolf grinned. “Now that would make for a perfect night.”


	2. A Quiet Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The festivities conclude for the evening, and Zolf is shown into Hamid's guest room for the night now that the assumption is going around that they are engaged. Cue bed sharing and an awkward confession from Hamid.

After a few more hours of chatting and mingling with still no sign of the plot against the various heads of state at the event, all of the guests were ushered out of the ballroom area to the attached wings where they were to spend the night. The next day would be full of ceremonies presenting heraldry and commendations of good deeds, followed by a secondary ball in the evening. The whole thing sounded dreadful boring to Zolf and he was almost grateful for the threat of impending doom to give him something else to do. 

However, at that point, he was among the visitors led to the guest rooms alongside Hamid, while Sasha and Grizzop were nowhere to be found. A well-dressed butler addressed Hamid and directed the pair of them into a fancy bedroom. 

“We were unaware that Mr. al-Tahan would be bringing a guest of his own to the events,” they said. “But we’ve changed around the rooms and brought your items up from the servants’ quarters, Mr. Smith.”

“Uh, thank you,” Hamid replied. He and Zolf stepped into the room and shut the door behind them. 

“We’ve got to get in touch with Grizzop and Sasha,” Zolf remarked once they were inside, and began fumbling for the mobile stone in his pocket. “They should have contacted us if they found anything, but who knows with those two.”

After speaking into the stone and calling their names a few times, Grizzop’s voice emerged. 

“Whatcha! Where are you two?”

“We’re in the _guest wing_,” Zolf explained. 

“How’d you get there? I mean, I get Hamid, he’s a rich one. But what about you?”

“Uhh… there is an assumption going around that I am Hamid’s fiancé?”

Sasha interrupted the conversation. “Yeah, that’s a pretty common assumption.”

“Sasha!” Hamid interjected.

“Enough!” Zolf cried, and everyone went silent. “This isn’t important. We agreed that nobody ought to run off on their own, so this isn’t a bad thing. You two are good being sneaky types, and Hamid and I can mingle, and we all have backup if we can’t get to our mobile stones in time. Alright?”

“You got it, boss,” Sasha answered, though it was clear another snarky remark about Zolf and Hamid’s relationship was right on the tip of her tongue. Or, as snarky a comment as Sasha could make. 

“Have you two found anything?”

“Not really,” Grizzop added. “Our best guess at a suspect is that shifty human fellow. Gideon, I think his name is.”

Hamid gasped. “Gideon!? He wouldn’t!” Then, he paused. “Okay, I take that back. I don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“We can keep an eye on him tomorrow,” Zolf said, offering Hamid a reassuring glance. “You two keep digging, see if you can find anything else suspicious. We’ll stick close to the noble types in case an assassin slips through the cracks.”

“Sounds good. So, you’re not coming back to the servants’ quarters tonight?” Grizzop asked. The Rangers had been set up in a separate room amongst the servants with small, scratchy bunks. They did the trick, but Zolf wouldn’t deny that the plush guest room was a significant upgrade. 

“No, I’ll be staying up with the posh ones,” Zolf said.

“Dibs on top bunk!” Grizzop shouted, away from the stone and clearly intended for Sasha. 

“We can each have a top bunk if neither of them is going to be here, you don’t have to call dibs,” she replied. 

“Don’t care, I called dibs!” 

Zolf interrupted their bickering, despite shaking his head and smiling. “Have a good night, you two. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

A yelled response was muffled through the sounds of Grizzop still squealing about how he’d claimed the top bunk and Sasha couldn’t get him down, he was finally tall, and he would _not _relinquish this lofty position. Zolf stowed the stone away in his pocket and turned to the room.

Oh yeah, it was _definitely _an upgrade. His and Hamid’s rucksacks had been placed with unnecessary carefulness against a far wall, across from the… single bed. 

“I can sleep on the floor, I don’t mind,” Hamid murmured as he followed Zolf’s gaze. He’d already discarded his jacket and tie and was rummaging in his bag for his pajamas, yawning. Socializing was hard work.

“Hamid, please. I think we can share a bed.”

“I just feel bad for roping you into all this.”

“Like I said before, it’s fine. Besides, with who knows what plot being hatched, it’s not a good idea for anyone to run off on their own. And having me as your fiancé is hardly the most ridiculous scheme you’ve ever come up with,” Zolf teased, and Hamid smiled back. 

“Well, I’m not sure about that, but if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. Besides, this bed is human sized. We probably won’t even realize someone else is there.”

Hamid chuckled and didn’t press the matter further. They both got themselves ready for bed and crawled under the covers. 

It went against all of Zolf’s instincts to pass up investigating during the night, but they needed their rest if they were to be at full strength the next day and there wouldn’t be much opportunity for them to sneak off during the festivities. 

“Don’t you want to know what I did? At university?”

His voice shook as he spoke. There were no lights on in the room, and, with his dark vision, Zolf could barely make out the way Hamid’s face was scrunched up as if with physical pain. 

“Honestly? It really doesn’t matter to me. But, you obviously want it off your chest, so go ahead.”

“I hurt people. I _killed _people. It was just supposed to be a prank, but I messed up the formula, and then Gideon-”

“The Gideon with Liliana?”

“Yes. That Gideon. He doubled all the quantities and it… it went wrong. It killed people.”

“That’s how you got kicked out of university?”

Hamid nodded. 

“Gideon got kicked out too?”

“No, he… they didn’t realize he was involved.”

“And he didn’t fess up? Doesn’t sound like he was a very good friend.”

Hamid sighed and chuckled breathily. “I don’t know if he ever was.”

“And… Liliana?”

“She dumped me when I was thrown out. Can’t say I blame her.”

“She has no right to speak of you that way,” Zolf snapped. “She shouldn't be that rude to you.”

“I don’t know…”

“No, Hamid, listen. Nobody has the right to be that crass toward you. I meant what I said. You are an incredible person and whatever mistake you may have done doesn’t change that. Even if you’d meant to kill all those people, I’d say you’ve more than made up for it, but you _didn’t_, it was an _accident_. I get feeling guilty, but you’re not at fault, and you’re _not_ a bad person. You’ve changed the world, so many times. And you’ve _definitely _changed my world.”

Zolf bit his lip with those last words, and he noticed a blush form in Hamid’s cheeks in the darkness of the room. 

“For the better, I hope?” Hamid said quietly.

Zolf laughed. “Please tell me that’s not a serious question.”

“Thank you, Zolf. I don’t think I could do any of this without you.”

“Likewise. Now, get some sleep. We’ll need our rest for tomorrow.”


	3. Intertwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During their investigations, Hamid and Zolf are included in an impromptu celebration for all newlyweds and the recently engaged.

Hamid awoke in the morning to the chiming of the bells lining the guest rooms and blinked blearily against the early morning light shining in through the curtains. He was not eager to get up and, even if he had been, there was little he could do about it given that Zolf’s arm was laced around his waist and he clutched onto Zolf’s hand, fingers intertwined. 

“Oh dear…”

A few minutes later, a second round of ringing bells went off, and Zolf finally woke up as well. 

“Good morning,” he said, then realized the position they were in and immediately started stuttering. “Oh, I’m, uh, sorry…” He pulled his arm away and rolled across the comparably large bed to hide on the far side. 

Hamid said nothing, but simply began to ready himself for the day. What could he say? That he didn’t mind waking up beside Zolf? That he liked the way their hands were clasped together? That he felt surprisingly safe in Zolf’s arms? 

He ignored these thoughts and began to don his suit for the second day of ceremonies. Today was all about recognizing significant accomplishments and the rising up-and-comers amongst the nobility and high class. Any opportunity to throw a ball, really. 

As he emerged from the washroom, Hamid found Zolf struggling with his tie, grumbling under his breath at his reflection as if it could rectify the situation. 

“Want a hand?” Hamid offered. 

Zolf turned toward him and threw his hands down in defeat. “It shouldn’t be this hard to tie a tie.”

“It takes a lot of practice,” Hamid admitted while he stepped up close to Zolf and worked his mundane fashion magic. “I had to learn properly before I knew how to cast prestidigitation.”

“I think that’s just cheating,” Zolf teased. “You get to cast a spell, I have to be all strung up in this thing. It’s hidden behind my beard anyway.”

Hamid chuckled and finished off his work, fixing Zolf’s collar and lapels as he went. “For what it’s worth, you clean up very well.”

Zolf grunted and grumbled a few words that Hamid couldn’t make out, then cried, “Oh! I almost forgot.” He reached under his collar and removed the dolphin pendant he had from his Poseidon days. “I want you to have this.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, I figure that if we’re supposed to be engaged, we should have some token to show for it. I haven’t got a ring besides the one that belonged to my brother and father, but this… this is me. So, I thought it might do the trick, if somebody asks.”

“I didn’t think you were still with the Poseidon lot,” Hamid remarked, running his fingers over the smooth wood of the dolphin. 

“I’m not, not really. But I still keep it with me. Not entirely sure why. You should take it though. For the ball. And maybe afterwards. If you want.”

“Zolf…”

They were both acutely aware of how close they still stood, how Zolf still half held onto the dolphin and his hand brushed against Hamid’s, how there were so many things unsaid between them. Hamid opened his mouth to speak, not sure of the words, but Zolf cut him off.

“Come on. We should get going. There’s still some devious plot to be uncovered.”

Hamid nodded, smiling solemnly and placing the dolphin pendant over his neck, not tucking it away but letting it stay on the outside of his clothes for all to see. 

“You’re right. Let’s get on with it.”

Arm in arm, Hamid and Zolf filed in with the other guests after checking in briefly with Grizzop and Sasha over the mobile stone. They were to keep an eye on Gideon while the other two would continue investigating behind the scenes. Hamid hated the idea that Gideon could be capable of something this severe, something that would involve purposefully killing dozens of people, but he couldn’t deny it outright either. And another part of him hated the fact that, to keep an eye on Gideon, they would likely end up spending the majority of their time around Liliana and her outright disdain for him and Zolf. 

However, Gideon didn’t show any signs of being involved in a diabolical plot to assassinate or explode the mass of accumulated nobility and wealthy. Same as the rest of them, he sat in place while the commendation ceremonies progressed. Hamid and Zolf positioned themselves a few rows behind Gideon and Liliana and saw no evidence of anything amiss. Even if Hamid _did_ have to nudge Zolf several times in order to keep him from nodding off. 

In a different time, this would have been the prime opportunity for a prank, Hamid thought to himself. He and Gideon could have secreted themselves in any of the nearby alcoves and lobbed stink bombs or prestidigitated obnoxious amounts of glitter into the air, just to cause a bit of mayhem. Despite how Hamid despised much of who he became while trying to fit in with the likes of Gideon and Bertie, some moments he missed. 

But he was doing more important work now. And – he glanced at Zolf – the company was infinitely better. 

The audience took a few breaks from the processionals to get food and stretch from sitting in place for what felt like hours at a time. During one such instance, while Hamid and Zolf ducked into the shadows to see if there was anything malicious hiding there, the announcer spoke again. 

“Now, we don’t want to interrupt your break, but we thought now was a good opportunity to make some momentous announcements regarding many of our guests. They may not always give a medal or title, but they’re worthy of attention all the same! We have several recent marriages and engagements that we would like to call attention to, so that we can all take part in the celebration of love!”

“Oh dear,” Hamid and Zolf muttered in sync. 

Since they found no obvious evil, the pair headed back into the waiting audience, assuming that they would soon be called upon as part of this ‘announcement.’ 

What they did not expect was that for each engagement or marriage listed, those involved would kiss and smile and wave as the crowd applauded politely. 

“Zolf…”

“It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“We have to play the part, right?”

“Right…” Hamid sighed and waited with bated breath. 

His chest shriveled a little when Gideon and Liliana were announced; it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t _right_. He felt no jealousy that Liliana was with someone else, the issue was that Gideon got off scot-free and she continued to believe a lie. If Hamid still had any feelings for Liliana, they had been discarded the moment she spoke to Zolf with ill-intent. 

“Ah, and one of the sons of the al-Tahan family! Let us give a big hand for the engagement of Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan and Zolf Smith!”

Hamid tried to keep his eyes on the crowd, to see if there was any reaction or if someone had taken advantage of all the attention to sneak off and plant a bomb or prepare an assassination, but all of that intent was gone the moment Zolf’s lips hit his. In that moment, there was no crowd, no threat, only the pair of them, holding tightly to each other. Hamid couldn’t even guess at how long they stayed like that, sharing a first kiss that felt like so much more. It could have been obnoxiously long, dragging out the break in the ceremonies, but he didn’t care; he was caught up in the feeling of their lips pressed together, the feeling of Zolf’s hands cupping Hamid’s cheeks, the feeling of so many things falling into place inside his head and heart. 

However, when they broke apart and Hamid took stock of his surroundings, it seemed like time carried on as normal and the announcer proceeded to list off a few other engagements. He and Zolf stared at each other for a few seconds, eyes darting away as they chuckled and blushed, embarrassed and excited all in one. Unsure of what to say or how to reconcile the feeling in his chest that he wanted to kiss Zolf again, Hamid turned back to the processions and noticed Zolf mimic the movement beside him. 

Hamid reached his hand over and gently brushed against Zolf’s until their fingers were interlaced between them. Despite himself, Hamid couldn’t help but smile as Zolf’s thumb brushed gently against his skin – they still had work to do, but in those moments, Hamid knew there was nothing that could stop them so long as they were together. 


	4. Dance Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rangers take a break from their investigations, and Hamid takes the opportunity to teach Zolf how to dance. However, with mechanical legs, it doesn't go particularly well... in a certain sense.

Back in their room, Hamid watched as Zolf undid his tie and checked that his glaive was still safely nestled inside a bag of holding strapped to his waist. 

“We’ve got a couple hours before the rest of the ball,” he said. “We should look around, see what we can find.”

Hamid nodded. He knew this was important, but there was still a bit inside of him that wanted to focus on the ball, on the socializing and the ministrations of the upper class. Sasha and Grizzop hadn’t found anything so far; maybe there was no plot after all?

“Zolf, before we go, there’s something I’m worried about when it comes to this evening.”

“What is it?” Zolf wheeled around with concern etched in his features.

“We’ve been doing a good job blending in – not that we’ve found anything from it, but, all the same – I just wonder: do you know how to dance?”

At that, Zolf squinted as if he didn’t understand what Hamid was saying. Then, he gestured to his legs. “I have mechanical legs. And I had a peg leg for years.”

“I would like to teach you some basics really quickly, if that’s alright,” Hamid requested. “Just in case it comes up. That way you don’t have to sulk in the corner all night.” He smiled slightly and Zolf couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. 

“Alright. Grizzop and Sasha said they would come meet us here before we head out, so we can work on dancing until they show up.”

“Thank you.”

To Zolf’s credit, he was very receptive to Hamid’s instruction, even if it didn’t translate at all to fluid, graceful movement. He stepped on Hamid’s toes almost constantly and tripped over his own stuttering legs occasionally as well, but he kept at it, holding tightly to Hamid’s hand in their dancing pose. 

“There you go, you’ve got it!” Hamid cried excitedly, and Zolf grinned. 

“Who would’ve guessed! I’m a dancer!” 

Almost immediately afterwards, Zolf’s leg clipped Hamid’s and caused them to stumble backwards until they both clattered to the ground with a thud and uproarious laughter. 

“Are you alright?” Hamid asked through belly-laughs, pinned beneath Zolf, who was laughing just as hard. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. You?”

Hamid just nodded. Still chuckling, he remarked, “Maybe you should stick to mercenary work for a while. I’m not sure you’re quite ready to become a professional dancer.”

“Aw, what a shame,” Zolf joked. “That was my retirement plan.”

“I mean, it wasn’t a completely terrible start.”

“I had a good teacher.”

Only now that their laughter had subsided did Hamid realize that they were still on the floor in a mess of limbs. Zolf was right there. Hamid’s stomach fluttered with butterflies and, was his vision starting to waver? 

He didn’t have time to analyze all this as he leaned upwards with every intent to kiss Zolf again, this time with no audience, no expectations, and it seemed that Zolf was moving in to do the same. Time slowed and Hamid’s heart thundered in his ears.

Their lips millimeters apart, the door suddenly flung open. 

“Grizzop!” A familiar voice hissed. “You have to knock first! Look what you’ve done!”

Zolf was climbing to his feet in an instant, extending a hand to Hamid to help him up, while Sasha and Grizzop continued to banter in the doorway. 

“We have work to do!” Grizzop turned to the duo in the room, both blushing and standing several feet apart from each other. “Can’t you wait until the job is done?”

“We were practicing dancing,” Hamid snapped. “In case Zolf needed to know how to blend in during the ball tonight.”

Sasha laughed. “Yeah, that’s definitely what was happening.”

“I don’t care! Let’s go!” Grizzop shouted and started on his way without waiting for a response.

“I agree,” Zolf grumbled. “Let’s go find out what’s going on here.”


	5. The Onslaught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball is attacked, and the Rangers step up to take care of the threat.

Their search revealed nothing of interest and all four were starting to wonder if there was a plot against the festivities at all. Regardless, they were still getting paid, so they stayed aware, just in case. 

And so, as the day pressed along, Grizzop and Sasha disappeared back into the less-travelled passages to keep an eye on things and avoid socializing, while Zolf and Hamid headed into the ballroom with the rest of the guests, all dressed up and in need of a stronger drink than was available. Neither referenced what happened in their room and instead stood awkwardly off to the side, drinking wine in silence. Zolf opened his mouth to speak several times, but what could he possibly say? 

Eventually, Zolf managed to quiet the thrumming of his heart and the spinning in his stomach and asked, “Hamid, would you like to dance?”

“Oh! I didn’t mean to imply that you had to,” Hamid insisted. “I just wanted it to be an option for you.”

“And I’m taking that option. If you want…”

Before Hamid could reply, a loud but muffled noise erupted from Zolf’s pocket. He removed the mobile stone so that he could hear Grizzop and Sasha properly. 

“Bad news, bad news!” Grizzop exclaimed. “They teleported in! They’re magicky ones!”

“What direction?” Zolf asked hurriedly as Hamid huddled around him to join the conversation. 

Grizzop’s response was cut off with a scream and the sounds of an explosion through the stone and directly into Zolf’s ears. A gigantic chunk of wall across the ballroom disappeared in a great _BOOM_ and shockwaves threw many partygoers to the floor. A couple dozen individuals sauntered through the hole. 

“I can cast fireball, but if Sasha and Grizzop are among them…” Hamid pondered as he picked himself up off the ground. 

Zolf scanned his surroundings and noticed a shadowy figure, picked out only by the glint of a dagger, and a not-quite-so-shadowy figure, illuminated by burning arrows. 

“Aim for the front!” Zolf commanded. “They’re at the back.”

Hamid said nothing but went still and pointed at the breach in the wall until a tiny beam of fire emerged from his finger. It then expanded into a great bursting ball of flame as it hit the intruders, and screams erupted from the attackers that went flying and were set alight. 

Zolf charged towards the mass of intruders, pulling his glaive from the bag of holding at his hip, grateful that Hamid had designed their suits so that their armor would fit underneath them. 

“Wait, Zolf!” 

He turned back to face Hamid and wondered as to the hesitation. Hamid placed a hand on Zolf’s shoulder and a flow of magical energy spread across him, a shimmering yellow surrounding him for the briefest moment before fading into nothingness. 

“It’ll make it harder for them to hurt you,” Hamid explained. 

Zolf just nodded, then turned back to the mass of black-robed intruders, who were moving through the nobility and aristocracy with blades drawn and coated in the blood of those they’d already eliminated. 

“Hey! Come pick on someone that’s willing to fight back, you cowards!” Zolf shouted across the space and raced toward them as fast as his legs would carry him, glaive outstretched. He sped into the mass of bombers and sliced through them as they surrounded him, spinning in dizzying patterns to keep them from getting too close and using their own weapons against him. 

As one broke through the line, several bolts of magical force blasted into them and sent them falling backwards, away from Zolf. Across the space, Hamid was surrounded in colorful displays of magic, fire and energy mingling around him as his features grew more severe, his dragon heritage manifesting more and more with each cast. 

With the help of Sasha’s daggers and Grizzop’s arrows, the main group of attackers was dispatched. 

“I’m going after the leader!” Zolf said to the others before running after the one at the front of the mass that had seemed to be the mastermind. “Get the stragglers! Try to keep them alive if you can!”

Even though he was already gone, he could practically hear Sasha and Grizzop reply “No promises” as their blades sunk into another body.

Zolf chased the leader to the corner of the ballroom and into the entrance of a hallway that branched off when he was hit from the side. 

“Zolf, no!” 

The roof fell into the spot where Zolf had just been and pinned Hamid underneath several miscellaneous chunks of rubble. He’d dived at Zolf to save him from the leader’s magical cast, meant to trap him under the building’s broken remains, but got himself partially caught in the process.

“Hamid!” Zolf tossed his glaive to the side and hefted the heavier chunks of stone off of Hamid’s body. 

He coughed and shuddered, not resisting as Zolf pulled him away from the collapse. 

Zolf pressed his hands against Hamid’s chest and channeled all of the positive energy he could feel to heal him as best he could, even finding himself demanding Poseidon to help out, to repay all his years of faith and do something worthwhile for _once_, because if anyone was worthy, it was Hamid.

“Hamid, Hamid, please!”

Hamid’s eyes fluttered open and he feebly stared up at Zolf. 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Zolf sighed. Then, with a disappointed and impressed smile, he added, “You just have to be the hero, don’t you?”

Hamid laughed, holding his stomach with the effort. “I’ve tried to be better about that. But I couldn’t let you…”

In the heat of the battle, with screams and cries around them, Zolf pressed his lips to Hamid’s forehead, a promise and thanks all in one.

“Stay put. And try to stay out of trouble.”

Again, Hamid chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m going anywhere right now. Go get them.”

Zolf stood, retrieved his glaive, cast another glance at Hamid – stable, but still injured – and sprinted to the other access corridor. Through their investigations, he’d memorized most of the passages in and out and through the palace and relied on that now as he figured that this hallway would soon intersect and combine with that which the leader had taken. 

Even though they had a head start, Zolf was fueled by rage and soon enough caught up enough to see a black-robed figure at the far end of the passage. 

“Stop right there!” Zolf cried, but neither of them slowed for a second. 

He wasn’t fast enough to catch up to a human, no matter his leg-situation. In a last-ditch effort, Zolf threw his glaive with all his force at the back of the leader. 

It lodged itself in their spine with a satisfying thud, and the mastermind fell to the ground with a scream. Zolf ran up to their side, removing the glaive by placing a foot on their back and pulling upwards on the weapon. With a simple cast of a spell, he knew they wouldn’t be dying on him, but they also weren’t going anywhere with a bloody hole that large in their back. 

With a bit of rope from his pack, Zolf tied up the leader, and then sprinted back into the ballroom to take stock of the situation. 

Grizzop was standing in the middle of the crowd of nobility, his high voice giving direction to all of the surviving partygoers, pointing them toward healers or away from it all if they had avoided the devastation. It was clear he had the situation in hand, standing atop a pile of gagged and restrained attackers to make sure he couldn’t be ignored.

Sasha, on the other hand, was kneeling in the corner, next to Hamid. 

“Is he alright?” Zolf asked as his breath caught in his throat. 

She nodded and Zolf visibly slumped with relief. “I gave him some potions, and one of the healer types here helped him out. He should be alright.”

“I’m fine,” Hamid insisted and stood of his own ability. 

“Thank you,” Zolf said softly. “You probably saved my life.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sasha watched the confession with wide eyes and an awkward expression on her face before darting off and disappearing into the crowd. 

Zolf quickly pulled Hamid into an embrace, squeezing him tighter than his condition merited. 

“Stop risking your life like that,” he muttered into Hamid’s shoulder. “I’m grateful you saved me, but I’m not worth you sacrificing yourself.”

Hamid held him back and cried into his beard. “Of course you are.”

With a shuddering breath, Zolf sighed, and held Hamid a little bit tighter. 

“We should probably see what we can do for the survivors,” Hamid muttered as they pulled away from each other hesitantly. 

“You’re right. It looks like Grizzop has it all pretty well in hand, though.”

They both chuckled as Grizzop began berating a particularly portly nobleman who decided to try and usurp his authority. Hamid leaned against Zolf’s side and Zolf held him tightly for support, then they headed toward their colleague. 

“Hamid, listen, I… I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Zolf could feel Hamid’s eyes beaming up at him, and he whispered, “I’m glad you’re okay too.”


	6. A New Engagement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both the festivities and the attack have concluded. In the aftermath, a lot of important conversations are had by all.

The local authorities and temples soon arrived on the scene and provided more aid than a shouty goblin, hidden human, injured halfling, and distraught dwarf could. With a few more bouts of healing from some other clerics, Hamid was back on his feet without aid, even if he still held his ribs and grimaced a little when he thought no one was looking. As the official head of their mercenary organization, Zolf wound up dealing with paperwork and demanding officials, leaving Hamid on his own. Hamid tried to get people where they needed to be, sending the injured to a non-overwhelmed cleric or helping someone separated from their loved ones find them, but there was only so much he could do. 

“Hey.”

He turned to see Liliana come and stand beside him, out of the flow of traffic and doing her best to keep her eyes on the ground. A bit of blood had dried in the corner of her mouth, but other than that she seemed unharmed. 

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Hamid admitted sincerely. “That was… intense.”

“Do we know what they were after yet?”

“Best we could get out of their leader, they just wanted to take out a bunch of influential people. Create chaos and thrive in the mayhem, that sort of thing. Is Gideon alright?”

Liliana nodded, arms hugged tightly around herself. 

“Listen,” she said after a long pause which bordered on significantly awkward, “It’s good to see you’re doing well for yourself. If you and your group hadn’t been here… It’s just, you’re doing good. And I’m glad.”

She leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to Hamid’s cheek and then darted away before either of them could examine the gesture further. Despite his schemes to prove himself doing better without her, he was grateful they could part on at least somewhat amicable terms. And, truthfully, he wished the best for her and Gideon. 

Hamid’s eyes fell on Zolf across the way. He _was _doing well for himself, more at home in the heat of battle and in the arms of a grumpy dwarf than he ever was while pretending to be someone else at university. 

*

Finally free from bureaucracy, Zolf fled the last of the injured stragglers and those attempting to clean up the mess created in the catastrophe. He stepped out onto a balcony and stood beside Hamid as they looked over the city, sparkling lights oblivious to the events that had just taken place. 

“How are you doing?”

“Oh! I’m alright. The clerics said I should feel better in the morning.”

“Good. That’s not entirely what I meant, though.”

Hamid sighed and leaned a little more against the railing. “I suppose it’s back to normal after this, huh?”

Zolf couldn’t help but chuckle. “What exactly is normal? Trudging through sewers and saving the world?”

Hamid laughed too, then bit his lip. “I meant… for you and me.”

“Hm?”

“I really liked these past few days with you,” Hamid confessed. “I really liked… being close with you. Underneath all that gruffness, you’re… even more incredible than I thought.”

Zolf looked over at Hamid, still staring at the city, jaw agape with so many words on his tongue. 

“Hamid, I…”

“I’m sorry. I know you were just playing a role, a role _I _asked you to play. I shouldn’t have gotten so invested.”

“I wasn’t, though,” Zolf replied. He reached over and took one of Hamid’s hands, forcing him to look at him. “Nothing I felt was fake. And… well, I’m not sure we should jump straight to fiancé, but you and me? What we had here… I think that could be our normal.”

Hamid smiled, eyes glimmering. “Really?”

In response, Zolf pulled Hamid into his arms and kissed him, this time with no prying eyes and no interruptions. Just the two of them, falling into place with each other after so much time dancing around it, letting every trepidation fade away in the movement of their lips. It was only the second time they’d kissed, but it felt _normal_; and after facing down certain death on a nearly daily basis, it was a normal they both needed. 

*

“Can we get a move on?” Grizzop asked, tapping his foot, arms crossed. “Our job here is done.”

Sasha pulled the door closed as quietly as possible to leave Hamid and Zolf alone. It was about damn time they realized how madly in love they were. 

“They’re just finishing something up.”

“What could they possibly be finishing up? I’m going to-”

Before Grizzop could reach the door and burst through, Sasha grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. 

“I think one of the food tables didn’t get completely destroyed when the explosion happened,” Sasha suggested and bodily led Grizzop away. “What do you say we go check that out?”

“I don’t understand…”

“Grizzop, listen: I know you hate waiting, but if the two of them waited any longer to figure themselves out, I would have lost my mind. We’re going to let them have a couple moments to themselves. I think they’ve earned it.”

Realization dawned in Grizzop’s eyes. “Ohh! They’re…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “They’re kissing?”

“Yes, Grizzop. It’s not a bad word. You can say kissing.”

Grizzop shrugged and began walking of his own accord to the remaining snack table. “Alright, alright. But the two of them being all lovey-dovey better not slow us down. I’m still on a pretty strict time scale!”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Eat some food. You’ll be less crabby when you’re not so hungry.”

“Crabby? _Crabby_!?” Grizzop grabbed a few small, ornate cookies, and tossed them at Sasha, giggling maniacally. 

In the aftermath of a near-death experience, everybody dealt with trauma their own way. For some, it involved a confession of love and a promise of togetherness; for others, it meant a food fight.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!  
If you want to see more of my writing or learn more about my original characters, head on over to kellanswritingblog.tumblr.com, or feel free to come chat on my personal, celsidebottom.tumblr.com <3


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